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Duke Energy and Seminole County warn of widespread outages; crews staged to respond
Summary
Duke Energy told Seminole County officials it has staged crews and resources to respond after Hurricane Milton, and county emergency management said restoration could take days to weeks depending on damage. Officials advised generator safety and steps to reduce electrical hazards.
Duke Energy and Seminole County emergency managers warned that Hurricane Milton could cause widespread and prolonged power outages and urged residents to plan for extended outages now.
Patty D'Alessandro, speaking for Duke Energy, said the company has positioned crews and support personnel ready to respond after the storm. She said crews are staged in Central-Florida locations and urged customers to prepare for the possibility of long-duration outages; Duke provided steps for safety during outages and instructions for reporting outages via its website, mobile app, text and phone contact methods.
Allen Harris and other county officials described restoration prioritization: critical infrastructure such as acute-care hospitals, 911 centers, assisted-living facilities and nursing homes will be addressed first, followed by neighborhoods. Officials cautioned that storm impacts will determine the timeline and warned that, depending on damage, restoration to all customers could take days or weeks.
Seminole County Fire Chief Matt Kinley warned of generator-related carbon monoxide risks and offered practical safety rules: never run a generator indoors, place generators at least about 20 feet from openings such as windows and doors, and avoid refueling hot generators. He recalled a carbon monoxide poisoning during Hurricane Irma to underline the danger.
Sheriff Lima said law enforcement will limit roadway operations at high sustained wind speeds for responder safety and described contingency staffing and specialized vehicles for emergency response.
Officials encouraged residents to follow county guidance, unplug nonessential appliances before power is restored, stay away from downed power lines, and check official county and utility channels for restoration updates.
